New Haven: A Nation Torn
by Saint0913
Summary: It's 2019 and Amestris has fallen under the reign of a new, alchemist-hating King. Three young siblings end up getting caught in a conflict that sees the nation split into two and the birth of a new nation-- a New Haven for alchemists.
1. Chapter 1

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**Disclaimer: we do not own FMA. we only own our characters and plot.**

**Prologue**

Ever since the council crowned Orrin the new King, everything had gone to hell. The King had felt the previous administrations had granted we state alchemist too much freedom. He started by instituting a curfew. No alchemist was allowed out past 12. After that they began restricting us the use of certain public facilities, like bars, movie theatres, and restaurants. There was also the ban of public use of alchemy. Then they wanted all alchemists, even the civilian alchemist, to register with the state. These rules were different but we could manage. We knew we needed to follow the will of our King. It was our duty as state alchemist to follow orders. But the last straw was when they started instituting "The Mark"

* * *

Chapter One

"Ahhhh!" cried a young boy in the middle of town square. He was surrounded by onlookers on every side. They were witnessing a young man, like so many others, receiving The Mark of the king.

"Quit your moaning it'll only hurt for a moment. There. Now you're a dog of the military, congratulations." said an alchemist pulling away the hot brand in the shape of The Mark away from the young alchemists forearm. The air smelled like hot metal and burnt flesh.

"Now repeat after me," said a second soldier "I, state your name, hereby pledge my undying allegiance to the King. I swear to protect and serve His Highness the King till my last breath. And I will strike down on all those who defy and betray the King in anyway. Hail Orrin" recited the soldier.

The young alchemist recited the oath of the State Alchemist in a weak and feeble voice. He slowly rose to his feet almost falling over.

"Oh. Don't worry that's the side effect of the mark," said the second soldier as he helped the young man up to his feet "It's an alchemic burn that uses your energy to attach itself to you. Your strength will return back to normal by the end of the day. Just get plenty of rest and water into your body." He told him, "Good thing that you accepted the mark or we would have had to arrest you." He smiled as he walked away with his partner. "Now go get yourself cleaned up and report back to base at 0900 hours for processing and assignment." ordered the soldier.

The crowd started to crowd around the new State Alchemist. They started talking amongst themselves and to the boy.

"They can't do this!" yelled one person, "making all the alchemist register with the state and then forcing them to join the military and branding them."

"They can and will," replied another townsman, "anyone who refuses to abide by the law will be arrested or killed."

"Well it's the only way to ensure the safety of the general public," yelled a large man in the crowd, "I mean these people are dangerous. We can't just have these human weapons walking the streets unsupervised. Who knows what will happen. We all heard about what happened in Shikaru. That alchemist killed four people. We can't let them roam free." He explained

"YEAH! Yelled a few people in the crowd.

"If you ask me, they should have been started this a long time ago." screamed one woman. A few people nodded their heads in approval with her statement. Some looked at her with disdain. Clearly not everyone was ok with what was happening to the entire alchemist population.

The boy stood up and started to speak

"This is the will of the King so we must obey." He whispered, "As for all those alchemist that have refused the will of King Orrin. I will hunt them down and bring them to justice, as it is my duty as a soldier and alchemist." He proclaimed. The crowd went quiet at the boy's words.

Then the boy turned and headed for his home. The rest of the crowd started to do the same. Some of them resumed their conversations.

"I hear a lot of State Alchemist have found this new law absurd and have left the military to go underground." whispered one lady to another "they feel that the mark is degrading and unjust because they have a skill that the King is not fond of."

"I heard that there are rumors of a group of alchemist plotting to take the government down." replied a man that was listening to their conversation.

"That's not what I heard. The word around the country is that a lot of the alchemists are leaving the country for good."

"Well good riddance. It would be a lot safer around here if they were gone."

* * *

On a train bound for Central there are three siblings riding together. The oldest is sitting by a window watching as the countryside becomes more urban while his two younger twin siblings complain to him.

"Atlas, why are we going to Central?" asked his younger sister, "you know that it's the most dangerous place for people like us."

"Artemis!" exclaimed her twin brother, "don't say that too loud while we are in public. You'll give us away."

"Apollo, you know that I hate it when you use my first name." cried Artemis

"I'm sorry _Tensa._ Jeez Tenny I don't understand why you don't like your name." said Apollo as he turned to face the window next to him.

Atlas closed his eyes and ran his hand through his black hair as he listened to the twins bicker back and forth.

"You both know that Central is the only place to gather the supplies we need for 100 miles," sighed Atlas, "Tenny needs parts and tools to repair our automail and besides Rush Valley, this is the best place to get them." he explained as he lifted his mechanical left arm. "This is also a great time for you, Apollo, to restock your medical supplies."

A few moments later the conductor yelled over the PA system "now approaching Central Station!"

As the trio exited the train, they noticed that a large group of people were running toward something. Some looked excited but others looked worried.

"Where are they running to?" asked Tenny

"I don't know but I think we should see what's going on." replied Atlas.

They followed the crowd through the city till they came to a large courtyard in the middle of Central Square.

As they looked around to see what all the commotion was about, they noticed that the crowd had surrounded a man suspended in chains above the ground and guarded by military soldiers. Atlas immediately recognized the man as the legendary Frozen Blade Alchemist.

"What the Hell" Atlas muttered to himself "Why is a national hero and a war veteran being strung up like a criminal?"

Tenny, seeing the unsettling look on her brother's face, leaned over toward him and whispered "What's wrong Atlas?"

"That man is a hero to this country. Even though he is young he has a lot if battle experience. He has fought in countless battles and has never failed to complete his objective. I don't understand why he is being treated this way."

A man in front of them hears their conversation and answers Atlas's question.

"He is being executed for refusing to bear The Mark of the King."

Atlas knew that the penalty for refusing to accept The Mark was severe but he didn't know _how_ severe. He swallowed his disdain and watched as a rough looking soldier came out to address the audience.

"Who is that?" he asked the man in front of him

"Oh him. That's Fenrir 'The Hunter'. He's the leader of the King's personal hunters, The Wolf Pack. They search for rogue Alchemist that have refused to obey his will. They are the best of the best in the Kings Army." answered the man.

Fenrir turned and addressed the audience.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, today you will witness the execution of a great hero turned traitor. The Frozen Blade Alchemist and former Head General of the King's Army, Marcus Cain, has refused to accept The Mark of Orrin and thus has chosen death over imprisonment ." he paused and smiled to the crowd, "Since the role of Head General will be vacated upon his death, I have taken it upon myself to assume the position."

As he proclaimed himself the new General people started whispering. Fenrir just chuckled and turned his attention to Cain.

"Any last words Cain?." he said as he unsheathed his sword and began walking toward him, "No, I've waited too long for this, you don't get to say a word" he smiled. As he got closer to him, someone yelled out "STOP!"

"Who said that! Show yourself." Fenrir angrily said to the crowd. As he scanned the people, he noticed a woman step out. She slowly walked towards Fenrir and began to speak.

"This man has committed no crime. He doesn't deserve to be executed" she bravely continued towards him, now only about four feet away. "This man is a hero and des--" She was cut short. At that moment, Fenrir, without a word, slashed her across her body from hip to shoulder. Her eyes rolled back as she fell to the ground, blood spraying out of her fresh wound. Fenrir slowly turned around and started to clean his blade as the crowd looked on, speechless by the brutality they just witnessed.

"Clean this mess up," he ordered his men. He turned back to the crowd.

"Anyone who defies Lord Orrin or his will shall be dealt with accordingly. Do we have any other volunteers?" he said slyly with a toothy grin. No one says anything. "No Takers? That's that I thought, you humans are all the same, living a pathetic existence, always needing to be put in their place. Always needing a constant reminder of who is superior."

Apollo whispers to his brother and sister,

"He speaks as if he isn't human." The people started shouting at Fenrir for saying those insults.

"You can't say that about us, you're human too!"

As they became more and more unruly, Fenrir ordered his men to file in front of Cain and himself giving them the order to shoot anyone who tried to cross their line.

The angry crowd, fueled by the brutal killing of an innocent woman and the insults of Fenrir, began to approach the soldiers. They were now only ten feet apart and the soldiers were getting anxious as sweat dripped from their foreheads. One soldier went to wipe his brow and noticed that one of the civilians was reaching into his pocket.

Panicking the soldier yelled

"He's got a gun!" and fired a few shots into the man's chest.

As the man fell he pulled his hand out of his pocket to reveal he was only holding a pocket watch. The other soldiers open fire at the sound of his gunshot. The soldier realized his mistake, but it was too late.

The three siblings looked on in horror as the crowd started screaming and running around them; trying to find safety while the bodies of fatal gunshot victims fell around them everywhere. Fenrir just stood by and laughed at the sight.

"Hurry, you two find somewhere to hide!" Atlas demanded to his siblings

"But what about you?" asked Apollo

"Don't worry about me."

"We're not leaving without you!" Tenny screamed.

"Just go! I'll be fine." he assured.

As the two left him, he heard Fenrir give the order to his men to hunt down and kill all who interfered with the government affair. He then watched as Fenrir turned to Cain.

"Are you ready to die?" Fenrir asked with that toothy grin of his. It was then that Cain looked up and saw something that made him smile.

"What's so funny?" asked an irritated Fenrir.

Cain just looked at him and said

"…Duck…" and before Fenrir could turn around to see what he meant a large rock hurled into him knocking him across the courtyard and through the side of a store bringing the roof down on him.

"Heh, they're finally here." Cain muttered to himself.

As some soldiers cornered a group of civilian children in an alleyway they heard someone yell

"Hey! Leave those kids alone!"

As they turned around to face the voice at the opening of the alley, they see a figure in a white cloak with a hood that obscured their face.

"Open fire!" yelled one of the soldiers. As they raised their rifles the hooded figure dropped and placed a gloved hand on the ground and a transmutation circle appeared around the soldiers. Then the earth beneath the soldiers gave way and they fell under the city. Then the alchemist took their hood off and revealed her face.

"Hey guys I'm Terra Ross, the Earth Shaker Alchemist." said a young blonde haired girl with goggles on her head. "You guys should follow me." she smiled.

* * *

Back at Central Square, three hooded figures approached Cain. One of them took out a piece of chalk and drew a transmutation circle on the chains binding Cain. The circle glowed and the chains turned into two swords as Cain fell to the ground. As he rose the three people took off their hoods. There were two men and one woman. The tallest of the group was a man with red hair and deep red eyes. Under his cloak he was wearing a white skin tight shirt under a modified black tactical vest and black white and grey camouflage pants, the same as the others. He carried a few hand guns on him and a rifle across his back.

"It's good to see your again Major Reeves. Or should I say Arsenal Alchemist?" smiled Cain as he shook hands with the red headed alchemist.

"It's a pleasure to see you too sir." Replied Reeves.

The next person that Cain addressed was a shorter thinner man with glasses. He had black hair in a ponytail and deep brown eyes. He was wearing a backpack and also had a number of pouches on his person. As he shook Cain's hand a charm bracelet was visible.

"New trinket Lieutenant Davis?" asked Cain as he pointed out the bracelet.

"Ha, this was my father's bracelet that he used to make his antidotes. I've modified it and added more circles so I can create a wide range of antidotes and potions."

"Well I guess you didn't receive the title of Apothecary Alchemist for nothing." Cain said as he turned to the last member of their group. It was a young woman with blonde hair and vibrant green eyes. She looked at Cain and saluted him.

"Welcome back General." She exclaimed as he came to her.

"Now Lt. Bell, there is no need for formalities here. I am no longer a General in the King's Army. I guess I don't have to call you all by your ranks either but old habits die hard," he said as he shook her hand. Lt. Bell almost turned a bright red at this gesture but sustained her emotions.

"Sir, we have brought you a little gift from home." Said Davis as he opened his backpack to reveal a uniform like theirs and a white cloak. "Sorry but we couldn't bring your swords into the city due to the fact they are very noticeable and recognizable. Though we did manage to bring your glasses and canteen of water for you."

"Don't worry Davis that will do just fine." Cain said as he picked up the swords made from his chains. "Now how many of the others are here with you three?" he asked.

"Well there are the three of us," replied Reeves, "We also brought four more alchemists with us to help with crowd control if the situation called for it, good thing we did" as he looked around at all the dead bodies. "Wish we would've been here sooner though, not this many people would have died," he said with sorrow look on his face.

"The others should be helping the people get away from the soldiers and taking them somewhere safe." Explained Davis. " We are the only group that came into Central but we have transports waiting with guards to take anyone who wants to go back to New Haven."

"Ah, good" Cain replied.

Suddenly, a large primal roar was heard across the square.

"AHHHHHHH!" yelled Fenrir as he emerged from the rubble of the wrecked building, his clothes torn as he bled from his arms. His eyes, now full of black, looked as if he'd turned into a rabid beast on a killing frenzy.

"It's going to take a lot more than _that_ to kill ME!" he roared in the distance.

"You three go help the others with the civilians. I will take care of this." Ordered Cain as he drew his chain swords.

"Yes sir!" The three said as they saluted and put their hoods back on before they left.

"Wait sir, take this radio with you so we can coordinate an escape plan." requested Lt. Bell. She handed Cain a small radio, which he attached to his belt.

"Right." as he turned to face Fenrir.

As he turned Fenrir, without hesitation, began to rush right at him in an uncontrollable rage, looking more like a wolf than a man.

Cain stood still as he opened his canteen and poured out the water in front of him, creating a rather large puddle. He put his canteen away and he stepped back a few paces and readied himself as the beast of a man drew nearer. Now Fenrir was on him, their swords clashing as they tried to disarm each other. Fenrir was a very skilled swordsman but his ability was nowhere near the skill and precision that Cain possessed. It was only a matter of time before Cain started gaining ground on Fenrir, dealing him fresh wounds to accompany his already torn body from his encounter with the building.

Blind with rage, Fenrir started to attack more wildly and more predictable. Cain easily countered and attacked, quickly disarming his opponent.

Fenrir, sensing defeat, pulled out his side arm. Atlas, anticipating what would happen next pulls a blade from his harness under his vest and hurls it at Fenrir. Just as the blade was about to meet its mark, Fenrir quickly turns and snatches the blade out of the air, and turned his gun onto Atlas. Atlas realized what was coming, but all he could do was throw his hands up in defense. A single gunshot rang out as Atlas fell to the ground. At that moment, Cain, taking advantage of a distracted Fenrir, quickly took his blade and pierced the ground, activating the transmutation circle on his palm and sending the alchemic energy through the sword, into the puddle below. The water rose up and froze around the body of the raging Fenrir, quickly locked him into an ice prison leaving only his head free to breathe.

"You're too feral Fenrir," announced Cain as Fenrir desperately struggled to gain freedom from the ice, "Your rage blinds you and causes you to do unspeakable things and make foolish decisions. I fear for the future of the King's Army now that you've assumed its command. You rushed into the fight not realizing that I baited you into a trap. You forgot to account for your opponent's strengths and instead turned your aggression onto an innocent who interfered." He walked over to Fenrir and held his blade to his neck.

"But I am not going to kill you," he whispered to him, "I refuse to stoop to your level. You will always remember the day I spared your life." Then he turned and walked away as Fenrir continued to struggle out of his imprisonment, cursing his nemesis as he did.

He approached the fallen body of Atlas. "Such a pity someone so young had to die so early…"

"I'm not dead _yet_" Atlas said as he sat up from the ground.

"How did you survive that shot? Fenrir never misses his kill." asked a surprised Cain as he helped Atlas to his feet.

" One of the perks of having a metal arm" showing his left arm with a bullet lodged in his forearm. "There is going to be hell to pay once my sister finds out though." he smiled.

"Well I thank you for your help but next time don't be so reckless. He could have killed you."

"You're worrying to much. I have been taking care of my siblings and I for a long time. If he hadn't busted my arm I would have tried to trap him in this circle." pointing at the transmutation circle that they were now standing in.

"You know alchemy?" Cain quipped, intrigued that this young man knew how to create such a complex array in so little time.

"I know a good bit, I prefer to work with water but lack the instruction. So I worked with what I had."

"Well we can discuss this later. For now we need to regroup with the others. It is to dangerous here."

"Not before I find my brother and sister."

"It is too dangerous to stay here now that the situation has escalated out of control. The king is bound to send reinforcements, especially since alchemist were involved. If your siblings are as competent as you say they are, then they would have found safety with the others. But for now we need to leave and regroup with my men."

The thought of possibly leaving his siblings behind was unsettling but Atlas knew that Cain was right. "Fine lets move." They left the Square and started through Central.

"Lt. Bell, status report." Cain yelled into the radio.

"We have all the civilians that want to leave loaded up and ready to ship out. We are just waiting for your orders sir."

"Good work Lt. I want you all to protect the citizens until I can rendezvous with you. How are you and your team?

"We are all ok, Reeves sustained a serious wound to his leg but lucky for us we found someone to patch him up so he should be ok.

"That's excellent I want you to sit tight. If I'm not there in 30 minutes then take the civilians back to Haven. Do you copy?"

"Roger that sir."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Cain reattached the radio to his belt, "Come on kid, follow me, we have to move NOW! More soldiers are closing in on our position as we speak."

"So what do we do now?" asked Atlas as he and Cain ran through the streets.

"We're going to the northern entrance to meet the others. They have transports ready to take anyone that is willing to New Haven."

"New Haven?"

"It's a city built to harbor we alchemists that want to escape the oppression that we have here; a way to be free from the Kings rule. It's in the northeast part of the country By the border of Amestris, Drachma and the Desert." At that moment a building next to them exploded throwing them off their feet. When the smoke cleared they saw a three soldiers, one holding grenades.

"Get down." Cain said as he drew one of his chain swords. Atlas took cover behind some debris from the fallen building as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Cain charged at the soldiers. He passed his hand over his blade coating it with icy spikes after activating the transmutation circle on his palm. He waved it in a wide arc, releasing a wave of spikes from his blade. The spikes hit the grenadier in his arm and the gunmen in their legs. Cain went to a barrel of water close by and placed his hand in it. He caused the water inside to evaporate and created a misty fog around the soldiers.

"What the hell is going on? I can't see anything." Yelled one soldier. The soldiers didn't know what to do. The huddled together so they couldn't be taken from behind. Then they saw flash of light blue and the mist started to freeze around them. It was soon clear enough to see. That's when they noticed a figure standing right in front of them. They raised their weapons and tried to fire but nothing happened.

"Damn! The guns firing mechanism is frozen." Exclaimed another soldier.

"Correct." Quipped Cain appearing out of the mist and grabbing one of the soldiers arms. It then started to freeze from the contact with Cain's hand. The soldier wrenched his arm and fell to the ground screaming in agony. Then another solder tried round-house kick but Cain ducked and swept the soldiers leg from under him, then kicked his head knocking him unconscious. The third soldier came at Cain with a knife but he was too fast and quickly disarmed him and then knocked him unconscious as well. Then he signaled Atlas to come over

"You really are as good as they say you are. Do you think you could teach me?"Asked Atlas as he left his hiding spot.

"Sure, but this is neither the time nor the place. We need to keep moving." answered Cain as he searched the soldiers for useful information and tools. He found some decent handguns and tossed one over to Atlas. "You ever fired one of those before?"

"Yes, my siblings and I had a couple encounters with a few hunters."

"Well that's good, means I don't have to spend time teaching you." he also found an enemy radio and a tactical map. "These are gonna come in handy." waving the map and radio at Atlas.

The continued on route to the northern gate while avoiding the large groups of soldiers thanks to the radio. There were a couple of skirmishes but nothing to serious. Finally the North gate started came into view.

"There's the gate. We're almost there." said Cain as they moved closer to their destination. As they grew closer, suddenly the gate doors started to close.

"Hurry, we need to make it there before they close." yelled Cain, now sprinting to get to the gates before they are cut off from their comrades. When they reached the opening of the gate Cain all of a sudden pushed Atlas away. A second later a blast of fire came through the gate and hit Cain in the chest, throwing him ten yards backwards. As he hit the ground he quickly recovered. His torso was on fire but he threw off his shirt and cloak revealing many scars and a giant transmutation circle on his chest.

"Well if it isn't the Frozen Blade alchemist, knocking at the gates of Hell," rang over the area

"Who's out there?" yelled Cain.

"Just an admirer of yours." laughed the mystery voice.

"Well how about you show yourself?"

"Oh where would the fun be in that?" asked the voice as another blast came from nowhere. This time Cain was ready for it and dodged it, but not without scorching part of his pants. He then took cover behind a building while he put out the few small fires. "Oh you're a quick one Cain, but you can't hide from Me." just as another blast hurled toward Cain a rock barrier rose in front of him blocking the flames from reaching him. He looked over to Atlas and gave a slight nod, noticing the transmutation circle on the ground at his feet.

"Oh that's not fair. Two on one isn't right. Especially when your opponent is a woman." Atlas searched for the source of the voice. Looking all around. Then he noticed a woman sitting with her legs crossed on top of the gate.

"Marcus she's on top of the gate!" yelled Atlas. The woman stood up and looked down on them. She had short bright red hair with black highlights. She was wearing a black jump suit. She also had a bow strung over her shoulders and a scimitar strapped to her side. She had black gloves with an intricate transmutation circle on them. She placed her hands together and slide her right hand over the top of her left creating a spark. A blast of fire erupted from around her right hand and came at Atlas. Atlas transmuted another barrier to stop the blast from incinerating him. "What a troublesome little nuisance you are." she said as she sent another wave of fire at Atlas. "Oh how rude of me I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Felicia Burns the Hell Fire Alchemist and member of Lord Orrin's Four Horsemen."While her attention was averted Cain sent a large ice spike at her. Right before the spike was about to impale her, she spun making her fire spin around her. The fire was so intense that the ice sublimated into steam." That was not nice Cain, I was in the middle of talking." she laughed as she sent more waves of destruction at the duo.

As Felicia's fire consumed many buildings, one of the water mains broke and began to spray water everywhere. Cain used this to his advantage and sent a large cascade of ice at Felicia. She just laughed and set her fire on it. The water sublimated again causing a vast amount of steam to be created. The steam obscured her view of her targets making it easy for Cain to grab Atlas and head for the gate. When they reached the gate Cain froze it and destroyed the ice with his sword. Then they dashed for the caravan to rendezvous with the others.

As the steam cleared Felicia noticed that her prey had fled. She turned to see them running toward a caravan. "Oh no you don't" she muttered to herself as she slide her hands again and created another wave of fire that roared toward the caravan.

When Atlas and Marcus reached the caravan Cain recognized the Earth Shaker alchemist. "Terra!" he screamed, "Block off the gate NOW!!"

Without question, Terra jumped off her transport stomping on the ground using the arrays on the soles of her shoes to raise a rock barrier to engulf what was once the north gate into a fiery mess of melted steel and rock.

"Good move Cain, I guess we shall conclude our little skirmish another time." whispered Felicia as she jumped down from the gate.

"Phew. Thanks Terra. I owe you one." thanked Marcus as he walked over to Terras's transport.

"Let's call it even. You did save me from those hunters back when I was younger."

"Sounds good to me, but we have no time to waste. Let's move out."

"Yes Sir."

Once everyone was strapped in the transports left for their journey home. While inside Atlas noticed a young boy treating an injured civilian. He quickly recognized him to be Apollo and went to reunite with his sibling.

"Apollo you're alright."

Apollo turned away from his patient to see his older brother standing before him. "Atlas! You made it out."

"Where is Tenny?" worried that something happened to his sister. Apollo and Tenny rarely separated.

"She's in the Transport behind us doing some maintenance on some of the civilians with automail." Apollo looked at Atlas's left arm and sees the hand with a huge hole in it.

"What the Hell happened to your arm? He asked as he grabbed the limp limb.

"Uhhh, kinda got shot by that Fenrir guy back in the Square."

"Damn. Well if _he_ didn't kill you, Tenny will! She spent a lot of time making this thing strong enough for you."

"Well if she hadn't put the extra time in, I probably _would _be dead." reassured Atlas

"Still, she's gonna be pissed... But then again, she might also be happy, now she can upgrade you to one of her new prototypes." laughed Apollo "Here, take this sling so your arm doesn't look so dead"

"Thanks," he said taking the sling from his brother. Apollo turned back to his patient as Atlas walked back over to Cain and Terra while he put his arm in the sling.

"Where did you get so many military transports?" asked Atlas as he sat next to Terra.

"Well...wait what's your name?" asked Terra.

"That's right, I never _did_ get your name," added Cain.

"Oh, my name is Atlas."

"Your full name son. We're men and men tell people their full name with pride," Cain quickly said to Atlas, "Here, my name is Marcus Cain, the Frozen Blade Alchemist and former Head General of King Orrin's Army " he stopped and spit after saying Orrin's name as did many that sat near him. "I'm also a member of the Heavenly Seven."

"Wait, what's the Heavenly Seven? How is all this even possible?" wondered Atlas.

"You should start with your name kid," said Cain

"Oh yeah, sorry. My name is Atlas Suigetsu"

"Suigetsu eh? Sounds familiar...... Anyways, nice to meet you"

"Yeah, nice to meet you. My name is Terra Ross the Earth Shaker Alchemist." added Terra with a smile.

"So I guess you want to know what's going on right?" Cain said to Atlas, "Well, when the new King rose to power, things started to go bad for us alchemists. I sensed danger for us well before any others had due to my close relationship with the King, so early on as a precautionary measure I had resources put aside in case it got so bad that we alchemists needed to leave the country. At the same time we still had a lot of loyal soldiers that helped us out, some of which worked directly under me in my former unit." he pointed over to the woman and two men sitting across from them. Atlas seemed to recognize them from Central Square. "Soon enough," Cain continued, "the King's laws against alchemists started to take effect. After the curfew was set, Major Reeves came to me proposing that we may need to find land to settle an establishment sooner than we'd previously planned. He was right; just three months after finding the land, the public use of alchemy was outlawed and we knew more harsh laws would follow. Ever since the city's creation and the formation of the Heavenly Seven, we've been going across Amestris rescuing both alchemists and those that oppose the Rule of Orrin," he stopped to spit again, "and bringing them to a land where they can live freely."

"What's the Heavenly Seven?" asked Atlas

"We are the special forces of New Haven that also act as its governing body. As the name suggests there are seven of us, each governing our own section of the city. But we can discuss more later."

Atlas nodded and turned to look out the window. "So how long will it take for us to reach New Haven?"

"It's gonna take us about a day and a half. But we aren't gonna drive the whole way," said Terra as she smiled at Atlas, "When we reach the train station we're gonna load these transports onto a train. Once we pass North City we'll continue to drive the rest of the way to New Haven."

"Well that's not too bad." Atlas said while he gazed out the window. When the convoy stopped for the night Atlas and Apollo went to find Tenny. They found her working on someone's leg in the transport behind theirs.

"There you go, how is that?"

"Wow, that's great. Thanks," said a grateful civilian. As Tenny finished, she looked over and noticed her brothers.

"Hey guys" she said as her bright blue eyes shining in the sunlight. She set down her tools and walked over to them.

"Hey Tenny." They said as she approached them.

"Atlas, what happened to your arm?" She was shocked when she saw that his arm was in a sling and that his hand had a huge hole in it, exposing the wires inside. She noticed a small silver bullet lodged deep in his palm. "There's a bullet in there, did you get shot?"

"Yeah, by that Fenrir guy back in the square." As he showed her the bullet lodged in his hand.

"Damn I should have made it better. You could have died!"

"Don't worry about it Tenny. If you hadn't done what you did then I surely would have di--"

"But maybe if you weren't so careless you would not be getting shot at in the first place!" she screamed at him.

"Well… I hadn't done _something, he was going to shoot Marcus" Atlas answered back._

_"So you get shot instead of him. Is that any better?"_

_"Well..." Atlas was at a loss for words. His little sister had made a good point. "You're right. It was stupid and it could have cost me my life, but it was for a good reason, I was trying to save someone's life. I'll be more careful next time. Besides, this gives you a chance to outfit me with one of your prototypes that you made from mom's schematics." Atlas reassured her._

"_Well I was studying her plans and saw some really interesting stuff about using different metals that were light but also very strong. And there was something in there about hidden weapons and compartments. Ok. I'll make you a new arm that will blow your mind away." She smiled, "But first let me fix this one so you don't look so helpless."_

_After Tenny she fixed Atlas's arm she warned her brother, "Now this is only a temporary fix, it won't hold together if you fight with it or do anything too strenuous. You're going to have to wait till I can get some better tools before I can make your new arm." Then she turned and went back to her transport. Apollo also left for the medical transport to help out the other doctors. Atlas just walked around the camp. A few hours later Atlas heard Cain ordering everyone._

"_Ok everyone it's time to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow getting all the way to New Haven." Yelled Cain as he patrolled the camp. He walked over to where Terra's squad was. "Terra, my squad will take first watch, then your squad will takeover in three hours ok?"_

"_Yes sir." She walked back over to her sleeping bag and laid down to rest. Cain then walked over to Atlas._

"_Atlas, thanks for your help today in the square. It was very brave of you." He stuck out his hand towards Atlas._

"_You're welcome sir." Atlas grasped his hand and shook it._

"_When we reach New Haven I want you and your brother and sister to stop by my district when you have the time." He smiled then went to join his squad to coordinate their patrol duties._

_Atlas walked over around and found his siblings. They decided to sleep close to Terra's squad._

"_Atlas, what are we going to do in New Haven?" asked Tenny._

"_I don't know yet, but we have been invited to Marcus's district when we have time in New Haven. But we can decide what to do when we get there. For now let's get some rest, we have a long ride tomorrow." _

_He went and got them all a sleeping bag from the transport. He gave them each one and then laid down to sleep._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The next day Atlas and his siblings got up earlier than the others and went for a walk. When they thought that they were far enough away from camp, Atlas and Tenny started to spar with each other as Apollo stood by for medical support. Tenny took out some gloves that had markings on them and put them on. She charged Atlas with impressive speed and precision, but Atlas read her too well, blocking and countering every move she tried. Looking frustrated, Tenny backed up and slammed her hands to the ground causing a puppet rise from it. Tenny touched its forehead and a large array of symbols glowed all over the puppet's body before fading. The puppet then came to life moving as if it were Tenny.

"Let's see you take on two of me Atlas" she smiled as she rushed her brother. The puppet rushed him right alongside her, fighting just as she; all of its moves mimicked her own. The puppet seemed not to phase Atlas too much as he continued to fair pretty well against the two. She went for a flying knee while her clone went for a low leg sweep from behind only to have Atlas sidestep and grab Tenny, throwing her into her into her puppet and crumbling it to pieces.

"Is that the best you got Artemis?" he laughed as his sister got angry at the use of her first name.

"In your dreams Atlas." She slammed her hands down to the earth again. This time two puppets emerged, one taking a fighting stance that oddly looked like his. Atlas looked at her with a quizzical look on his face.

"That's a new one."

"You have no idea" as she charged her again, the puppets following her lead. They were smarter this time working more in sync with Tenny and the puppet of him had Atlas' exact fighting style. Every time he attacked, it would block him and the two Tennys would counter. He was getting beat by his little sister.

"I got to admit Tenny, you've been getting better, but you still can't beat me," he smiled. He rolled up his shirt sleeve and revealed a complex chain tattoo with an elegant inscription on his right forearm before wiping his sweat on it and causing the inscription to begin to glow bright white. Tenny gasped but didn't let up. She continued to press her brother sending both puppets at him. As they closed in on Atlas, he raised his arm and the chain was glowing sending compressed a concussive force at them. Tenny and her puppet dodged it but the Atlas puppet didn't see it coming and was blown into rocky pieces. He ran at Tenny and the remaining puppet as to take them both on as Tenny and her clone continued to rush at him. He sent another blast but she jumped and dodged it. The moment she dodged his blast, Atlas jumped on the shoulders of her puppet, doing a back flip kick off of it and catching Tenny in the stomach before hitting her with a wide blast to knock her to the ground. As he landed back to the ground himself, he slammed his right arm down causing a torrent of water to emerge from beneath the puppet, dissolving it into nothing.

"Ok guys I think that's enough." Called Apollo "We should probably get back to camp, let me check you two out really quick." He checked them out to make sure that there weren't any major damages. After seeing that there were only just a few scratches on the two, they made their way back towards the camp.

"That was really good Tenny. I didn't know that you could mimic others' fighting styles." Atlas told Tenny as they walked back.

"Haha, yeah but only if I study them well enough. My puppet could mimic yours so well because I already had knowledge about your style. We spar so much!"

"Yeah you're right," he laughed, "but only to get better, you know that. So, how many of those puppets can you control at once right now?"

"Only two so far, today's match really stretched my abilities. I'm beat!"

"Well none the less you did really well today."

________________________________________________________________________________________________

As the three made it back to camp, they noticed everyone packing up their transports to get ready to continue on route to New Haven. They began to go back to their respective transports when they ran into Cain who, while making sure everything was loaded, approached the three.

"Well done you two, that was quite impressive." smiled Cain as he walked over.

"Heh, you were watching?" asked an irritated Atlas

"Yes I was, I was patrolling around that area and noticed you two sparring. I was at a distance, but I still saw a good majority of it. You two fought well."

"Thanks!" said Tenny. "Well if you'll excuse us, we should really get our stuff packed."

"By all means, we need to get going as soon as possible," Cain replied as he excused three loaded the rest of their belongings back into the transports and were ready to continue the journey. This time they decided that they would all ride in the same transport to the train. Most of the ride they just slept, exhausted from their match that morning.

About an hour later, they finally reached the train station. Upon their arrival, the three split off into separate cars; Apollo went to the car Lt. Davis and his men were in because, when working alongside him to heal injured civilians before, he was greatly intrigued by the man's work and believed there was much to learn from him. Tenny simply went to Lt. Bell's car because Bell was the one that rescued her from Central and the two quickly bonded with one another. Cain invited Atlas to come stay in his car with a few of his friends along with Terra and the rest of her squad. Atlas loaded his belongings into the car and the train left the platform soon after. Atlas took a seat with the others as they carried on in conversation.

"Hey Atlas!" Exclaimed Terra who had just turned to notice she was sitting next to him.

"Oh, hey Terra," smiled Atlas back at her.

"I heard you and your sister had a little sparring match this morning."

"Oh yeah, who told you that?" Atlas asked shooting a look over at Cain, who just sat back and smiled while everyone else laughed. "Yeah we train a lot since we have been on our own for so long."

"Oh, well where are your parents?" asked Terra

The smile on Atlas' instantly vanished, "They're dead, my brother and sister are all I've got left."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

"No, not at all. They were murdered when I was seven and my brother and sister were both five." As he said this, Cain's eyes locked onto Atlas. "We lived out in the country in a small town. It all happened at night; I remember because it was my job to get the twins ready for bed. I was helping them brush their teeth when I heard a loud crash and people arguing. I told them to hide in their closet as I ran downstairs to see what was the matter. When I got there, my parents were shouting at a strange man wearing a black cloak standing our living room. 'Why have you come here?' I remember my father yelled at him. But the man didn't say anything, he just stood there. Then without a word, he began to attack them. My parents were very accomplished alchemist though, they'd fought off little nuisances like this before. They eventually forced the stranger outside while they fought. The strange man proved to be very skilled since he could handle both my mother and my father at once; they were very well trained in hand to hand combat and also in a wide range of weapons. I went outside to see what was happening, and then it started to rain. This was good since my dad was a water alchemist. As my father created a blade of ice, the stranger drew two swords from his side. My mother had used alchemy to create a staff with a blade at the end. They engaged the man; they worked very well with each other. But the man kept dodging their attacks as if he already knew their every move. By this time he had dealt many wounds to my parents. 'Is that the best you can do?' the man shouted at my parents. Then my mother went at him alone. I ran into the house to grab my bow to help my parents win the battle when I heard a yell of agony from my father. I ran back outside and saw my mother lying on the ground bleeding from her side. 'How does it feel to be all alone with no one to help you?' screamed the man. I looked at my father and a strange blue light was radiating from him. I remember feeling very cold at that moment. He was blind with fury and rushed the man with everything he had. He was attacking with relentless force, making so many different weapons from the rain. I ran to my mother's side to see if she was okay. When I reached her she was still breathing but it was weak and uneven. As my dad fought the man he dealt him an impressive number of wounds. The man seemed that he could not keep up, but then things changed. The man started to get quicker and was blocking more of his moves. He eventually slashed and my father fell. There I stood, alone in the rain with both my parents lying on the ground in a pool of water and their own blood. In a fit of rage I charged the man responsible for this brutality against my parents. I pulled out my bow and used a technique my dad showed me, making an ice arrow from the rain using the array that he etched into the bow for me. I let it loose but before it hit its target he slashed it into pieces. I continued running after him while he remained unmoving. As I neared, I launched into the air and went for a flying knee. He caught me and threw me to the ground all the while never moving from the spot he was standing in. As I landed he took his blade and stabbed me in my left arm, impaling the ground and pinning me down. I struggled to get up but the pain was too intense. The man just looked at me. 'It's no use, you're not getting free.' He then turned his back to me and diverted his attention back onto my fallen parents, walking over to them. I couldn't let him get to them, they might've still been alive and he was going to finish them off. So I used all my strength to get up and pulled the sword out. I then took it and charged the man, but he heard me coming and dodged my attack. I went to attack again but missed. He then dealt me the blow that took my left arm. As I screamed in agony he just laughed. I looked up and saw my death coming, but at that moment lightning flashed and I saw his eyes. They were cold steal blue. They looked so strange yet so familiar. That was the last thing I remembered--- him raising his arm to finish me and then I passed out; probably from all the blood I lost. I woke up the next morning and my parents were gone while I sat wondering how I was alive. The villagers never _did_ find them or the strange man from that night, and I haven't seen him since."

"That all sounds so terrible," said Terra

"Yeah but that was eleven years ago. Since then we've lived our own. We've gotten a bit of help from my neighbors, but that was about it really. We still think that man may come back though…. one of these days…. That's why we train so much, if he ever _does_ come back, I won't let him have the satisfaction of finishing the rest of us off."

"Alright now," Cain interjected, "no need to go anymore into that. Those are dark memories of the past, we should all be thinking about our bright futures.

"He's probably right," said Terra, "there's no need to reminisce about such terrible things. I'm sorry I had you bring it up."

"Its okay, you didn't know," said Atlas.

"Atlas, I don't believe I introduced you to my friends here," Cain said turning to them, "This is Albert Tezuka." he shook hands with Atlas. "Albert here's been my friend since we were kids. Since he heard they were busting me out today he wanted to be here to greet me personally. Don't know what you would've done if we ran into trouble though, you never _were_ much of a fighter," he joked to Tezuka.

"Ha, I know what I need to. Pleased to meet you kid, Marcus has told me a little about you," said Tezuka.

"Like what?"

"Like how he needed a kid to save his life back in the city," joked his second friend. Tezuka and Atlas laughed while Cain smiled at his friend.

"And this joker here is Tanner Grey," he said, pointing to his other friend. Grey was a hulk of a man who was almost unusual in size compared to Cain. His hand almost swallowed Atlas' when they shook hands. "He and I work pretty close together."

"Haha yeah," said Grey, "you'll finally get to see what we've done with the place… and I can stop watching over _you're _place."

"I never _did_ thank you for that," smiled Cain.

The group in the car went on in conversation for the next hour as people slowly made the choice to rest. All of Terra's squad fell asleep first, assumingly tired from the patrolling they had to do back at the camp, followed by Cain's friends. Terra fell asleep on Atlas' shoulder at about the same time. Atlas took this time to talk to Cain.

"Hey," Atlas said to Cain, "Do you mind if I ask you a few things?"

"Ask away," he replied, "Might make the ride go by faster."

"Alright. Well, basically its about some of the stuff that's happened. Like that Fenrir guy, it seemed like he's hated you for a long time."

"Ah yes, Fenrir. You're assumptions are correct, he _has_ hated me for quite some time. I'm sure the hatred started when I took _his_ position in the army at such a young age. I joined the army five years after him and ascended through the ranks quickly. A lot of people viewed me as the perfect soldier; some still do. When I reached the rank of Head General, I was as close as a man could be to the King, and it wasn't long before he attained the role right below mine, never being able to surpass me; a situation he was probably all but too familiar with."

"Alright, well what happened to him when you two were fighting before? It was almost like he wasn't human."

"Well, he's not a human, or at least not completely. Fenrir's a chimera-- someone who's genetic makeup has been alchemically mixed with that of an animal; in Fenrir's case, a wolf. The wolf genes transfused inside of him have given him drastically heightened senses while his physical attributes have slightly taken on those of a wolf…. He's a bit hairier than the normal human would be, but nothing too serious, "Cain laughed, "Although he's no one to take lightly, as you saw in the city before I imprisoned him in that ice, his abilities are no laughing matter. As I recall, he snatched one of your throwing knives right out of the air."

"Yeah, I'd never seen anything like _that_ before. Guess I see what you mean about his senses, it'd be impossible to sneak up on a guy like that…."

"Exactly. You kind of just have to take him head on and hope you're stronger. I'm one of the few who can actually hold his own… But anyways, anything else you wanted to know?"

"Well yeah, just one more thing. What do you know about that other person we ran into right before we escaped through the north gate?"

"That woman who called herself Felicia Burns? Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know who she is…. I've never heard of her _or_ those 'Four Horsemen' she spoke of. I _thought_ I was in a position to know everything the King knew, but I guess even Orrin has his secrets," he stopped and spit. "My guess is, he sent her to stop me once he heard of my escape…. The fact that he sent a member from what seems like a secret group of personal soldiers just shows how serious he was about capturing me. ….Kinda makes me think of what _else_ he may have kept from me, ya know?"

"Yeah…"

"But that's something to think about for another time. For now, I think we should probably go the same route as our comrades here and rest for the remainder of the trip," Marcus said as he sat back closing his eyes

"Yeah, doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Atlas sat back and closed his eyes as well. It wasn't long before everyone in the room was finally asleep.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

A few hours later Atlas was awoken by a voice although he didn't open his eyes. He recognized who was talking and decided to listen in.

"So Marcus, tell me you get the same vibe from this kid that I do." said Grey with a silent tone.

"Yes….. The story, the last name, it all makes sense…. At first I thought the last name was nothing to look into, but the story he told seems to match up perfectly," replied Cain silently

"My thoughts exactly." Tezuka chimed in.

"And his age seems to fit too, that incident _did_ happen eleven years ago… I still remember it like it was yesterday."

"There's only one way to be sure," said Grey, "_You _know what I mean Marcus…"

"Yes…. The tattoo…. He told me that everyone in his family receives it at birth…. It could be anywhere on him."

"Should we just check him now?" said Tezuka as he got closer to Atlas.

"Don't be foolish," said Cain, "you'd only wake him up… No, we'll have to get him to show it to us on his own. That tattoo is the only way we can be sure if this kid is who we think he may be; him _and_ his brother and sister. If they are who we _think_ they are, then these kids could be stronger than they even know….. I invited them back to my house in New Haven once we arrive, I suppose we can check them there."

"Right, sounds good, just make sure I'm there," said Grey

"Naturally... Well, we should arrive at the platform soon. Guess we should start getting everything ready for when we arrive then?"

"Yeah, I don't wanna spend more time on this damn train than I need to, lets go." The three walked out. Atlas laid there awake, confused and a bit scared not knowing what to make of what he'd just heard. Somehow he managed to get back to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"You… wanted to see me sir?" said Fenrir stepping into Central Palace.

"Yes…. Fenrir…. Or is it General Fenrir now?"

"Ah yeah, about that sir, I figured I was rightfully next in line since I worked directly under Cain when he served for you. We've had so many defect to the rebel side now that I figured you needed a man who's loyal to b---"

"I think I'll be the one to decide who I can trust. Now I'll admit, Cain was the last man I expected to turn on me, but at the same time if there was a man that could effectively lead men against me, Cain would be the only one who could do it. I realized this early on Fenrir, and when I received word that there may be a group set out to overthrow me, I knew Cain was too much of a risk to keep around. I never wanted him to receive the mark, hell, I knew he wouldn't. I needed him dead, and you FAILED ME!" Fenrir shuttered at his scolder. "And in light of all this, you have the audacity to name yourself Head General? What's going through that damn skull of yours? Did Cain hit it too hard after he defeated you in battle?" Fenrir remained silent, lowering his head in shame. "Fenrir," he sighed, "you've always been loyal to me, and in your case, I know there's some legitimacy to it. You chimera all share the same disapproval of alchemy as I do, and what happened with Cain is only the beginning of what's to come. I need my army strong," he continued, "and you're the only man who can do it, which is why I'm giving you another chance." Fenrir with a renewed spirit lifted his head back up. "You are now officially Head General of my army, and your first task is simple-- Kill Marcus Cain. Use any means necessary."

Fenrir grinned at this, "My pleasure sir. I already know where he's going."

"Good. Gather your men; You have one month to make the necessary preparations."

"Thank you sir, you won't be disappointed," Fenrir assured.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Atlas wake up, we're at the station." Terra said as he gently shook him. "Everyone is already off and ready."

"Shit, thanks Terra," laughed Atlas scratching his head.

Atlas got up and started stretching. Once he grabbed his things, he left the train and met up with his siblings.

"How'd the ride go for you two?" Atlas asked them as they made their way to the transports.

"Not too bad," said Apollo, "Kinda long, but Lt. Davis is a pretty cool guy. He introduced me to a few guys in his squad. You know their unit specializes in healing?"

"Right up your alley huh?"

"Yeah, we talked a lot."

"What about you Tenny?" asked Atlas.

"Well, I slept a lot of the time," she laughed, "I talked to Lt. Bell for a bit, but they kept her kinda busy the whole time. What about you Atlas?"

"Well that's what I wanted to tell you two about. I overheard Marcus and his friends talking about who we or who we might be or something….. I don't know, they started talking about how they wanted to see our tatt--"

"You three, come on we're gonna be leaving soon!" interrupted Grey as he signaled them over from the door of a transport he was crouching to fit through, "Just come in with us, we're all going to the same place."

"I'll tell you guys about it later," Atlas said as they made their way to the transport.

They loaded their belongings into the transport and made their way inside. Atlas immediately recognized everyone in the transport to be the same people that rode with him in the train with the exception of the rest of Terra's squad. As soon as the three strapped themselves in, the transport began to move.  
"Sorry for the rush," said Cain, "from what I'm told though, the ride'll only be about an hour and twenty minutes long."

"Yeah, we'll be there before you know it" smiled Terra.

Tenny, who was sitting next to Tezuka, looked over at him and noticed he was quietly working on a drawing.

"Wow, that's really good," she said, "Is that Mr. Grey?"

"Oh yeah thanks, it is him. I draw for a living and I got kind of bored. I guess you can say this is a product of my boredom huh?," smiled Tezuka.

"Haha, yeah it's really good. Maybe you can draw me sometime."

"Well, I guess if I get bored enough" he laughed. Tenny didn't seem amused.

Cain was quiet for most of the ride, only briefly talking to Grey a bit. Atlas was quiet as well, mostly thinking about what he'd heard earlier on the train while Apollo and Tenny later began talking to Grey and Terra. Tezuka simply continued his drawings.

"Jeez kid, you're a lot less talkative than before," said Grey breaking Atlas' train of thought, "On the train you were full of questions and didn't wanna shut up and now you're basically sleeping with your eyes open."

"Sorry, I was just thinking…" said Atlas.

"Thinkin' about what?"

"Well I mean……" he said pausing. Suddenly Cain burst into the conversation.

"Eh, lighten up Tanner, the kid obviously has a lot on his mind what with what's happened in the past few days. If he has something to tell us, he can just tell us later. Oh, and don't forget," he said turning to Atlas, "I've invited you and your siblings to my estate later tonight. You can stay the night tonight and we'll get your housing assignment worked out in the morning."

"Thanks," said Atlas.

The group casually chatted for about thirty more minutes, mostly commenting on how bumpy the ride had become, until Tezuka finally looked up from his drawings.

"Ah, looks like we've finally made it back then," he said casually. Apollo and Tenny immediately went to look out the windows as Atlas peered over at Cain who also looked a bit curious to see his outside surroundings.

"Eh, its no use kids," said Grey, "the snowfall around here usually covers up the windows before ya know it. We are going through Marcus' district." The two strapped themselves back into their seats with a look of disappointment. Cain began to go over how the rest of the night would go.

"Alright, since its late, we'll all head back to my place to retire. I've told the others from the Seven to meet us there for an informal welcoming and that we can hold an official ceremony of sorts tomorrow at the Central Capitol Building. I know you guys are tired from the journey and hell, so am I, but the others from the Seven insisted we do something to celebrate my arrival."

"Yeah, they only insisted because they don't remember how damn long the ride to get to this place really is!" Grey added, "Hell, the last time I went to Amestris Central and back myself had to be about five or six years ago."

"Haha, its fine though, I'm sure it'll be nothing too over the top," smiled Cain

"Yeah, as long as you keep Dean away from the drinks," joked Grey

"True, true." he replied as Terra laughed

The transport continued its ascent up what Atlas figured had to be a mountain due to what seemed like such sudden snowfall.

"Do you live here in Cain's district Terra?" Atlas said to her

"Me? Oh no…. This cold weather isn't for me!" she joked, "No, I live in the Grand District…. Come to think of it, its been forever since I've seen any kind of precipitation…"

"Huh, why's that? Kinda dry where you live?"

"Well, lets just say you won't get much rainfall from inside of a mountain," Terra laughed, "but it's okay, you didn't know about her district."

"Oh," said Atlas, "an entire district inside of a mountain? That's pretty impressive."

"Yeah, you should come visit me there sometime, it's pretty amazing there."

"I'll be sure to," Atlas said with a smile.

Finally the transport came to a stop. They all began to unstrap themselves and get their belongings as Grey walked over and opened up a floor compartment. From inside he pulled out a massive fur that was obviously made to fit him and then he proceeded to begin taking out smaller, more normal-sized ones.

"Here," said Grey passing a fur to Apollo, "Trust me, you're gonna want one of these."

Apollo thanked him as he passed out the remainder of the furs to the others. When everyone was ready Grey opened the door to the transport. As he did, a gust of freezing air burst into the vehicle causing everyone to clinch to their furs. Grey was the first to get out, although he had to greatly duck under the doorframe to do so. Next was Cain then Tezuka followed by Terra who he helped get out. Atlas stood in the doorway and looked out. Snow was falling, not too hard but it was accumulating quickly. Ahead of him was a large cottage with a stone walkway that was unbelievably cleared off. There was a candle in each window of the house which was significant because there were several windows and the chimney was letting out smoke. Cain's guests must have already arrived.

"Come on kid, what the hell are you waiting for?" said Grey once again breaking Atlas' train of thought, "The longer you stand there and wait around, the longer we gotta sit out in this cold, so lets get it movin'!"

With that Atlas finally jumped out and helped his siblings get out safely. When he got out he could now see that there were a few more cottages in the distance of Cain's. They were considerably smaller in size compared to Cain's, but they still didn't look half bad. Atlas figured those must be some of the residential housing for Cain's District. Cain led the way up the walkway to the front door as Grey followed closely behind him with his belongings. Next was Terra with her equipment then Tezuka who seemingly took nothing on the journey with him as he still only carried with him his drawing pad that he continued drawing in despite the snowfall. The three siblings followed their lead. When they reached the door, Grey stopped Cain as he was about to knock and allowed himself to open the door for him. The door looked like it was custom made for Grey to fit through, as it was enormously tall.

"No man should have to knock on the door of their own house Marcus" he said pulling out a ring of large keys, "Sorry, I realized I forgot to bring your spare with me when it was too late to go back, no worries though, its in the house." He found Cain's key and opened the door. The group walked in and removed their snow drenched furs and shoes while Grey went into the other room.

"Guess who's back?" he yelled. Atlas heard an excited group of people jump from their seats and began to talk in highly enthused voices. The group rushed into the foyer of the cottage and surrounded Cain in excitement.

"Jeez, I was talkin' about me actually," Grey said as he slowly walked back into the room.

"Alright alright, settle down, lets try and act a little professional here," said Cain.

"Come on, lighten up Marcus," said a woman from the group with long flowing golden locks, "we haven't seen you in almost ten years!"

"Yeah," said one of the men, "You can't honestly tell me Tanner and Albert didn't act the same way when they first saw you again."

"No not really, we actually shared a quiet cup of tea and talked about how great the King of Amestris is," joked Grey as the group laughed, one of them punching him in the arm.

"Hey, who are the kids Marcus?" said one of the men, pointing over to the three.

"Oh, just a few guests of mine, the older one here is the reason why I'm still alive." The members of the Seven were awed to hear of such a thing as they turned their attention to Atlas. "Everyone, this is Atlas Suigetsu. I suppose I should introduce you to the others huh?" he said looking at Atlas, "Well these five men and women, along with Tanner and myself, make up the Heavenly Seven; the law of this land. This man here," he pointed to the man he was talking to before, "is Jackson Aequitas, his specialty is water alchemy."

"Good to meet you," he said, aggressively taking Atlas' hand to shake.

"He and Dean are good friends. Hell, when I approached him about being in the Seven, he wouldn't join unless Dean could too."

"Haha, well at least we pull our weight around here," Jackson laughed

"Yeah, you two work so well together, I don't think we'd even want you if you weren't with Dean," joked Grey as everyone laughed.

"I am pretty good huh?" laughed Dean. "The name's Dean, Dean Veritas," he said introducing himself although never extending his hand to shake because it was far too occupied holding the glass of scotch. "Oh yeah, and was the sidewalk clear enough for you guys? I had to clear off the damn thing every twenty minutes thanks to the constant snow around here……" he said as he once again began to drink his drink. Cain chuckled at the sight.

"Well, you could've done better…" he laughed. "Anyways," Cain continued, "these three ladies here are Dyanna King, Frances Ferrick, and Haley Gran. They specialize in electrical, medical and earth alchemy respectively." They each shook hands with the three. "I believe you said something about befriending Davis while we rode in the transport?" Cain said to Apollo. "Well meet the woman that taught him everything he knows," he said, pointing to Ferrick. Apollo looked up at the woman he had still been shaking hands with trying to hide the obvious surprise on his face. He was speechless toward the thought that what he'd seen from Davis earlier was merely child's play compared to what this woman could possess.

"If you're interested in medical alchemy my dear boy, Davis and I experiment with new things in my District all the time. You should pay us a visit." Apollo nodded at the invitation.

"Hey, Marcus said you guys would have something planned for us when we got here, PLEASE tell me it has to do with food and a warm bed, cuz I'm starving and I'm beat" Grey interjected.

"I second that," said Tezuka finally looking up from his drawings.

"Hey! Maybe if you shut up we could get to that!" Gran snapped at Grey. To Atlas' surprise he immediately ceased speaking, something no one else seemed to be able to do ever since he met Grey. "Now," she continued as she recollected herself, "We've prepared a wonderful meal. We weren't expecting three other guests, but places can be made. If you all would follow me to the dining room we can finally get this dinner under way." She proceeded into the other room as the rest of the group followed with Cain and Grey in the back of the group.

"What was that" laughed Cain as he tapped Grey on the shoulder.

"Eh shut up…." he said as he walked into the dining room. Cain followed, continuing to tease him.

They entered the dining room to find a large selection of food places at the table. It was a large table that could accommodate the entire group and then some. The food smelled so good to the hungry travelers.

They all sat down and were poured a drink of their choice. Then Tanner stood up and spoke.

"I'd like to propose a toast, to the long awaited arrival of a dear friend and comrade." Everyone at the table rose from their seats, glasses in hand. "Marcus, we have waited almost a decade for you to join us and take your rightful place among the Heavenly Seven. I am overcome with joy at your arrival and cannot wait till you can see all the things that we have done...."

"Well don't you sound so proper..." interrupted Gran. The table laughed as Grey looked at her with squinted eyes and an annoyed look on his face.

ANYways," he continued, "with that said, I would like you all to raise your glasses," the room rose all their glasses, "To Marcus Cain!" the group clinked their glasses together as applause and cheers followed the toast.

"Thank you my friend." Marcus said with a chuckle. "I'm excited to finally be reunited with my comrades, and I'm really looking forward to our bright future as a complete unit." He rose his glass again, "To New Haven!" the group again clinked their glasses together once more before they indulged in the meal before them.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

"Right," said Fenrir addressing a mass group of men and women that made up the King's Army. They were all fully uniformed and stood below an erected stage that Fenrir and his Wolfpack now stood on. Fenrir was now in a clean and crisp Head General uniform. "The King has officially named me Head General of his army, giving me complete control of each and every one of you. The King has given me my first orders to carry out-- Kill Marcus Cain. If you admired Cain, too bad, your dedication to the King should be higher. If I find out about anyone else that abandons my Army for those traitors, you will each be found and tortured as examples in the middle of Central Square. Now, we leave in one month for the secret establishment that is safe housing the traitors to the State. When there, we are to kill all of the city's inhabitants…… that's right," he grinned, " not one man, woman or child will be left alive…"

"Sir!" said a soldier in the crowd, "Permission to speak sir!"

"Granted….." he said looking a bit annoyed.

"Sir, don't you think killing everyone is a bit harsh sir? Surly there could be a more civilized way of solving this."

Fenrir didn't speak. He stared down at the soldier that spoke out as the rest of the army remained silent. He folded his arms behind his back and started to proceed forward to the edge of the stage as if to get a better look at the man who decided to speak up. After standing on the edge for a few seconds, he began to slowly walk backwards till he was shoulder to shoulder with his men in the Wolfpack. He tapped one of his men on the back and they began to walk forward. The man was massive and clearly visible to the soldiers even before he had begun walking forward. As the stage shook with every step he took, his features became more visibly noticeable, with the most notable of which, being the small horn protruding from his forehead. When he reached the egde of the stage, he aimed his rifle and, without saying a word, shot a single bullet into the head of the soldier who just spoke. The man fell to the ground dead. Fenrir walked back to the edge of the stage next to the man that just killed the soldier and again tapped him on the back, prompting him to return to the rest of the Wolfpack where he had been before.

"You'll soon find that what I say goes. Questioning my orders will only be greeted with a quick death…… Now, training begins bright and early tomorrow morning, and trust me, you DON'T wanna be late…… Do I make myself clear!?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Rang the crowd in full unison.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Sorry All for not posting sooner. Saint has gone to college and Mingjinko has started a new job so we are trying to write and keep up with our lives. Hope you enjoy this new chapter don't forget to post a review and tell your friends to read.**_

Chapter Five

The dinner was going very well, everyone gathered around the table reminiscing while Atlas and his siblings listened intently. They listened as Grey retold a story of one of their old war stories.

"Then Marcus and I were runnin' through the woods with twenty Drachmen soldiers on our tail. When we reached the clearing I remember there was a whole damn platoon of our soldiers staring us down. Haha, when those Drachmen that were following us finally caught up and saw was waiting for'em, they nearly shit themselves! They gave up without a fight! Little did they know that all the soldiers that they were staring at were only statues made to look like our soldiers… complements of Miss Haley Gran." As he said the last few words he looked over to the women across the table from himself.

"Thank you Tanner but I can't take all the credit. It was Reeves's idea to stay thinking that we could ambush the soldiers following you two," stated Gran, "By the way, where _is_ Reeves…?"

"Hmm, dunno," answered Grey.

"Well for whatever reason you all decided to stay, I am thankful because if not for that, I wouldn't be standing before you today," cut in Marcus. "But for now everyone let us leave the past in the past. We should focus now on the future." As he said this he looked at his watch, "Wow, look at that it's already 1:30. We should all get a good night sleep so that we are well rested for tomorrow's events."

"I think that's a wonderful idea Marcus. Everyone is going to need their rest, we have a lot planned for tomorrow." Agreed Dyanna King as she rose from her seat. As she did so everyone followed, while everyone was leaving Marcus tapped Atlas on the shoulder.

"Excuse me Atlas but there is a matter that I'd like to discuss with you privately if you don't mind" hinting toward the young twins. "Once you are settled in your room with your brother and sister would you be so kind as to join me in my study for a moment?"

"Um..…sure that shouldn't be a problem," said a worried Atlas. He still remembered the conversation he overheard on the train and still didn't know what to think of it.

"Great I will see you in a few then." Cain said before exiting the room with Tezuka and Grey. After everyone was shown to their guest rooms, they all said their goodnights and retired to their rooms; Atlas, Apollo and Tenny did the same. When they got into their room they were surprised to find that there were two more rooms in the room. There were two bedrooms and a full bathroom as well as a living area with furniture. In one room there were two full sized beds that were bunked together and in the other there was a queen sized bed.

"Wow this is really nice. I wonder if all of the Seven have houses like this," Tenny wondered. They started getting ready for bed, all except Atlas.

"Hey guys," said Atlas as his siblings finished changing, "Marcus said he wanted to speak with me in private, so I might be there for a while. You two shouldn't wait up for me, I'll see you in the morning."

"What for? Can't it wait until morning? It's kinda late...." said Apollo

"I don't know what it's all about, but if it can't wait, it obviously must be important..... Just don't worry about it you two, get some rest. I shouldn't be too long." With that, the twins climbed into their beds as Atlas exited the double doors to the bed room, closing them behind him. The hallway, much like the rest of the house, was enormous, and at this time off night there were no lights keeping it lit. Atlas walked down the hall trying to remember where he had to go. He eventually made it to a grand set of double doors. The doors were closed, but feint light was escaping from under it and he could hear the sound of chatter from within. Atlas assumed this was the study he'd been searching for. The doors were too thick to make out whatever was being said by whoever was in the room, so Atlas took a deep breath and knocked strongly on one of the doors. The conversations inside ceased immediately.

"Come on in son," a muffled voice welcomed Atlas. He opened the door and stepped inside. Inside there was a large desk and book shelves that lined the walls, filled with books. Atlas could read some of the names and noticed that a lot of them were alchemy books. A fire was lit in the fireplace and seemed to be the cause of the light, and there was a spiral staircase that led to an upstairs that contained even more books. Atlas surveyed the room in awe before focusing his attention to the furniture fixed over near the fireplace. There sat Cain, Grey and Tezuka. Atlas noticed how intently quiet both Grey and Tezuka were; Grey looked more serious than he had ever seen the usually laid back man act before, and Tezuka's drawing pad was nowhere in sight.

"Welcome Atlas," greeted Marcus as he motioned his hand over to a chair, "please have a seat."

"Thank you sir." He sat down feeling a little uneasy, "May I ask what all this is about?" he said masking his worry. He had an idea of what this meeting could be about but wasn't so sure just yet.

"Well Atlas," spoke Tezuka, "Seeing as how Tanner and I are the ones that have known Marcus the longest, he trusts us with important information. When he told us about his suspicions, well, we just had to come to this meeting of yours to see if it was in fact true."

"What suspicions?"

"That you are someone with great potential, but before I get to that," cut in Cain, "I'd like to start with how I came to this conclusion." He stood up and started to pace in front of the fire place, "Let's start with your name."

"My name, what about my name?"

"Well, when you first told me your name I knew it sounded familiar. It bugged me because I was sure I'd heard the name somewhere else… After a while it all seemed so obvious, and it didn't take long for me to recognize it. See, a little more than ten years ago, a man showed me a picture of a young boy. He told me the boy was named Atlas, after the Titan in Greek Mythology, and that he was his son. The man who showed me this picture was my master. Now I thought to myself, 'you couldn't possibly be that same child, the odds are too slim for that,' but then I decided to weigh the possibility. I mean, you both would be around the same age now and you looked a lot like an older version of the child in that photo…. However you were also slightly tough to recognize, what with your battle-hardened appearance looking far different from the child I once saw….. But those eyes….. Those eyes of yours are the same deep, cool blue as those from the picture…. The same eyes _he_ had….," Cain paused as he placed his hands on the mantle of the fireplace, "But that still wasn't enough for me to be sure, they could've all just been mere coincidences." said Cain as he turned to face Atlas, "And then I saw you fight. Your style is…. similar to the one my master taught and used. So with that I was almost positive that you were the boy in the picture."

"So how come you aren't a hundred percent positive?" questioned Atlas while he stood up and started pacing in a circle. "And so what if I am the boy in the picture? What is the big deal?"

"There is only one way for me to be sure that you are the child I saw so many years ago." Cain walked over to Atlas. "Do you have any tattoos?"

"Yes I do, there is one on my right arm and one on my back. Why?

"May I see them?"

"Sure, but you still haven't told me why my tattoos matter." Atlas said as he removed his shirt and showed Marcus the intricate design of his tribal tattoo the spread from his shoulder down to his wrist. Then turning and revealing a moon tattoo on his scar-riddled back with two identical crescent moons one either side of it. Marcus looked at the tattoo and sighed.

"My master's family had an old tradition; They would tattoo their seal on every member of their family. This is not it," he said as he sat down in the armchair that was closest to him.

"So I'm not the one in your photo then?"

"I guess not kid," boomed Grey with his deep voice.

"Is it ok for me to leave then?"

"Sure I guess this meeting is over," said Cain disappointedly. He began mumbling and expressing his disappointment to himself as Atlas turned toward the exit, shirt in hand. He stepped into the moonlight that had crept in through the window as he went to open the door. All of a sudden he heard Cain yell, "WAIT!" he turned around.

"Yes?" he saw Cain was wide eyed and his mouth was open. "What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?" He walked over to Atlas and turned him around placing his back in the moonlight. Tezuka and Grey joined him to see what he was fussing over. As the moonlight shone on Atlas's back, something started becoming visible inside of the tattoo of the moon. After a few seconds the lines were completely visible. Right there taking up the entire inside of the Moon on Atlas's tattoo was a transmutation circle with an inscription circling it.

"Permissum luna rector qui patesco signum ut verum" recited Tezuka

"Let the moon guide those who bare the seal to truth," said Cain as if he knew it by heart. "Atlas, that's the seal of my master, and you are indeed his son. That's where our paths intertwine, your father is the man who made me who I am today, and was quite possibly one of the greatest alchemists our generation has ever seen. Your father, my Master, is the Frozen Blood Alchemist…..Tensa Suigetsui."

"My….. Father? No that…. can't be right…"

"And why not?"

"Because my father was just a doctor…. I mean, he knew how to fight an' all, but he _couldn't_ have been one of the greatest alchemists of all time…."

"No, that's where you're wrong… you never knew him as a great trainer because he never got the chance to begin training you. Remember how I told you the story about how your father showed me a picture of you?" Altas nodded. "He showed that to me on April 16, 2008." Atlas' eyes grew wide in shock. "That's right…. The day they died… He showed me the picture of you and told me that tomorrow would be your seventh birthday-- the day he'd finally start training you."

"Wait, I still don't understand though, how did you see him? I've read about you and around those times you hardly had any downtime."

"Not usually, no, but that day was special, it was the day I was named the Lieutenant General of the King's Army. I was given the day to celebrate and I hadn't seen your father for four years by that time, so we went out for celebratory lunch even though your father greatly hated the man who had just promoted me. We talked about old times, other people he's trained and everything else I just told you…. and that day was the last time I saw him…" The room sat quiet as he came to a close with his explanation. "Atlas, I know this may be a lot for you to take in right now, but it was something I had to confirm with myself. You probably don't remember, but I showed up to your parents house the morning after they were killed. To this very day, no one has ever been found responsible for their deaths, and it kills me when I realize that… But I also made a pact with your father that day; a pact about you. He told me that if anything were to ever happen to him, that he wanted me and me only to train you. So let me ask you this final question before I let you leave: will you do me the honor of helping me fulfill the final order my Master gave to me?" The room was now staring at Atlas waiting for his answer.

Atlas was still shocked from everything that had transpired in the study in just the past few minutes. He stood there not speaking as the events of the night began the replay in his head over and over again. His tuned out concentration was broken by Cain.

"Atlas, I need an answer. Can I call you my apprentice?"

"Yes," said Atlas, "for my fallen father and for your knowledge, you can call me your apprentice." Cain smiled and they shook hands.

"Right, now that this is all settled, I think I might get some shuteye," said Grey as he got up from his seat. "They're makin' us do a bunch of shit tomorrow and I've been advised not to sleep through it. 'Night guys." Grey made his way through the double doors as Tezuka had gotten up himself.

"He's right you know, you're probably gonna need the _most_ sleep Marcus, they're gonna be touting you around Haven all day tomorrow. I'm gonna go myself, I'll see you two later." He too walked out of the room now, and only Cain and Atlas remained.

"You'd better get to sleep son, there's a long day ahead of us tomorrow," said Cain.

"Right," said Atlas as he slipped his shirt back on, "you try not to stay up too late yourself." He walked out and made his way back to his quarters to find his two siblings sleeping. He laid down on his own bed and tried to rest…. He knew he wouldn't be able to, but he tried.

The next morning the Seven had already left for the Central City in New Haven. Tenny shook Atlas awake and the three got dressed and made their way into the living room. There they found Tezuka sitting on the couch with his eyes glued to his drawing pad as he drew what appeared to be a picture of the Seven. Terra was sitting next to him watching him draw until the three walked in and she stood up to greet them. Tezuka didn't move.

"Hey you three, about time you woke up," she said with a smile, "We should probably go soon, Cain's big ceremony is happening in a bit and the parade he's having would be a great way for you guys to see around the city. You guys ready?" The three nodded. "Alright then, Albert, shall we?"

"Yeah sure," said Tezuka as he stood up, still drawing. "There's a transport right outside you three, the driver will take us to where Marcus'll be addressing the crowd."

They all stepped outside where light flurries were still falling and they made their way over to a large transport. They all jumped in one by one, Tezuka helping them each board, and then they were off. Atlas was still quite tired so he mostly sat back and teetered between sleeping and not, while everyone else briefly sat in silence. The silence was then broken up by Tenny when she turned to Tezuka.

"So, is that all you really do is……. Draw?"

"I'll have you know, it's one of my professions. I get _paid_ to do this." Tenny nodded at this. "But if you really wanna know, I'll also quite pro at technological things too…. Not that you'd be interested in all that…."

"Are you kidding?" she said hysterically, "That's _all_ I do besides training-- makes things! I made my brother's _arm_!" With that Tezuka finally took his attention off his drawing and looked at Tenny.

"You _made_ that? Someone your age?….. Huh…. That's pretty damn impressive…. I _wondered_ how he got hooked up with such an arm, never woulda thought that you _made _it though……"

"Surprised?"

"Very……… Hey, you should come down to my shop sometime. Since we're checking out the city today, I can show you where it's at…. I'm kinda interested in seeing what you can do now…"

"Oh you'll be impressed, I assure you!"

"Do you think I'd be able to meet up with that one lady from last night again?" chimed in Apollo.

"You talking about Ferrick?" answered Tezuka. "Yeah, you'll see her, her _and_ Davis all at the ceremony today. You know he's her second-in-command right?"

"Huh, no I didn't know….. I guess it makes sense though, since they're both healers….."

"Yep… I knew you'd be curious about her too, everyone is _always_ kind of mystified by her quietness and mysteriousness….. I've learned that if you want a good conversation though, you should really just speak to Davis…" Terra laughed and agreed.

They all continued in idle conversation until the transport slowed to a stop. Tezuka waited till he heard the engine turn off and rose from his seat to go stand by the door. Before he opened it, he looked at the Suigetsus.

"Last night you saw a mere speck of the hard work put into building this city. Now, you witness the true glory that is, New Haven!" he said as he swung the door open. It was a clear sunny day out, greatly contrasting from that of Cain's district, and there were people everywhere. They had all been surrounding a grand, tall building which Tezuka mentioned to them was the Central Capitol Building, and were eagerly awaiting Cain's appearance. The city streets were complete with streetlights, banners hanging from each one of them, and there were many shops and small businesses that lined the streets. Far off into the distance, Atlas noticed a large mountain that visibly peered over every rooftop in sight as it seemed to add somewhat of a majestic feel to the setting. Upon closer examination of the buildings in Central, Atlas found Tezuka's business "Tezuka Mechanics" that he had been mentioning to Tenny about before as well as a few other businesses. "Hey, I'm gonna show Artie over here my shop. You guys don't need to wait up."

"Hey! I prefer Tenny!" she yelled at Tezuka.

"Eh, you should really represent yourself by your true name….. but whatever, let's go." He waved to Apollo, Atlas and Terra as they turned their backs to them and began toward his shop.

"I guess we need a good standing spot then?" suggested Terra.

"Yeah, guess so," responded Atlas. They moved deeper into the crowd until they found a spot that they felt sufficed. As soon as they did, horns sounded and the crowd grew silent as they drew their attention to the balcony of the Capitol Building. The unmistakable figure of Tanner Grey walked out in a large white robe and began to address the crowd.

"Citizens….. In 2008, New Haven was merely an idea in the cautious head of a great man. By 2011, this idea began to surface into an actuality as his creation now had the land to grow on….. By 2014, we were given the great knowledge and experience of the men and women of whom we now call the Heavenly Seven…… And now today in 2019, the man behind all of what you see around you and beyond, finally comes home. Citizens of our Haven, please welcome the man that made this all possible, my friend and comrade, Marcus Cain!" The crowd followed Grey's words with an uproar of excitement as Cain strolled out in a white robe similar to Grey's but with his hood on. He stood there and the crowd quickly quieted down; he reached for his hood and threw it back to reveal his face as the crowd expressed their excitement once more.

"Haha, I guess he's always kinda been the one for dramatics," yelled Tezuka through the noise of the crowd. He and Tenny had showed up just in time for Cain's speech and he smiled as he crossed his arms, looking up at his friend; Atlas smirked and did the same.

"New Haven," started Cain, "is truly a dream come true…. I was once questioned by one of my comrades who shall remain nameless," he said as he smiled and nudged Grey with his elbow, "would New Haven serve a purpose any longer after King Orrin," he, as well as everyone else in the crowd, stopped to spit at the reciting of his name, "is out of power. The answer to that question is 'yes'. New Haven is not merely a land where alchemists and regular civilians alike, live to be free from the reign of the King, it goes well beyond that. New Haven is a place for men and women to live free, plain and simple. Someone once told me that once the King is out of power, everything will most likely be changed back to normal and that there'd be no purpose for us being here. Well I told that person that the King has nothing to do with it. So much can change by the decrees of just one man. Amestris was harmless to we alchemists until he came into power and it doesn't matter if and when he falls from power, if things go back to normal, because just as he easily instilled those laws those…… anti-alchemic laws, another corrupt man can do the very same. That's why I say 'why take the risk when we can live in a land where we know we can always be free?'. Citizens, this is New Haven, and I'm proud to say we all call this our home, our _free_ home." The crowd cheered and began chanting his name until he rose his hand to hush them. "Now, the first thing I will now do is introduce you to someone else, someone who is of great importance to me…."

"Huh, wonder who he's going on about?" said Tezuka, "It'd better be _me_!" he said as he began to chuckle. Tenny simply rolled her eyes as the group continued to watch intently.

"The person I'm referring to is standing in this very audience today and is the reason why _I'm_ standing here. He is my new apprentice, and his name is Atlas Suigetsu, son of Tensa Suigetsu!" Cain announced this as he pointed directly at Atlas into the crowd. Suddenly thousands of sets of eyes were now on him as they gasped and began whispering. He didn't know what to say, but soon there was no need to know as the crowd again erupted in cheering. They eventually lifted Atlas into the air off of his feet and carried him to the steps of the Capitol Building. Still confused and a little shocked, he walked over to the doors at the same time Grey poked his head out of one.

"Come on in here kid, I don't know what the hell Marcus was thinking!" Atlas walked in and closed the door behind him. "Haha, but that _was_ kinda funny as hell though," Grey said before throwing his head back and laughing. Atlas didn't seem too amused. "Well, Marcus is still delivering his speech, you can wait back up top with me and the rest of the Seven if ya want." He opened a door to a stairwell and the two made their way to the top. There the rest of the Seven as well as Bell and Davis sat, and Cain stood in the distance still on the balcony addressing the massive crowd.

"Wow, sorry Atlas," said Aequitas as Atlas stepped into the room and took a seat, "I only heard the commotion, but they sounded pretty crazy out there when Marcus announced you…. Try not to get mad at him though, if anything he's probably just excited to have you as his first apprentice and wanted everyone to know about it.

"Right then…. As long as it's _that_ and not that he just thought it'd be funny or something…."

"To be honest, he probably thought it was _both_" laughed Aequitas.

"You're _really_ not helping Jack," Bell said back to him. It was then that Atlas heard Cain's address come to a close as the crowd began their uproar of cheering once more, this time being the loudest. Cain saluted the crowd and then turned and made his way back into the room.

"Damn, I _really_ hate giving speeches….." he said as he walked, "I'm more of an actions-speak-louder-than-words kinda guy ya know?" He came in and took a seat in the empty chair left for him as he lit a cigarette and sat back. "Sorry about that Atlas, I got a little hasty and overexcited….. If you didn't want these people to know your true identity, then I'm sorry, but in this land of freedom, you shouldn't have to live in worry and fear. You're my apprentice and the son of Tensa Suigetsu….. And now that everyone knows it, you're basically a celebrity around here, you _and_ your siblings."

"The son of Tensa? Wow….. I didn't even know the guy _had_ kids…" said Veritas, "Tensa trained me too, long before Cain, but you could probably guess who's better in a fight these days…."

"You didn't know he had kids because they weren't _born _yet Dean. Hell, Atlas was only _two_ when I finished my training with Tensa. Come on you drunk bastard, think!" said Cain as the rest of the room started laughing. The Seven began passing around stories and experiences about Tensa as Atlas sat by in amazement not knowing what to say. He couldn't believe how notable a man who, up until the night before, he thought was merely just a great doctor, was on the lives of all the men and women in the room.

"How did you…… all feel when you found out he was dead?" said Atlas. The room went quiet and the innocent reminiscing ceased as they all looked down to the floor in sorrow.

"Well Atlas…… it's not something we usually like to bring up, but you deserve to hear anything about your father. Out of all of us, I was the first to know. Like I said, I came to your house the morning after. Tanner, Gabe and Sara worked in the same unit as me, so I let them know when I made it back…. No one ever really knew what to say…. I distinctly remember that none of them asked what happened, because they feared they might conjure up an image of it in their heads. I'm sure the rest of us all have different stories on it, but it was a day that truly lived in infamy for us all…… And to tell you the truth, we think Orrin was behind it, just like he was behind the death of Ferrick's father." Atlas looked over at Ferrick who turned her head and closed her eyes, easily showing how upset she was. He also noticed Davis clench his fists a bit at the mention of the death of Ferrick's father. "There's more reasons to hate Orrin than you think Atlas……….. But for now, we have to move right? If I'm not mistaken, we have a parade or something?"

"Haha, yeah….." said Grey, "Who set this load-a crap up again?…. Oh wait…" he said looking over at Gran who looked increasingly annoyed.

"Well I don't see _you_ ever doing anything useful around here unless you call smoking and eating part of your daily responsibilities!" she snapped at him.

"As long as nagging is a part of _yours_." Everyone began to rise from their seats blowing off the "argument" the two were having to get ready for the parade.

"You two should really just get a room or something," said Aequitas as he and Veritas left.

"He's right you know," laughed Cain as he signaled to Atlas that they should go, leaving a blushing Grey behind.

Cain and Atlas along with Bell, Davis and the other members of the Seven, made their way onto a parade float and began down a blocked off path that would lead them all throughout the city. Central City is where they started, and it seemed both quaint but luxurious. Atlas peered off and saw his siblings cheering for him in the crowd around the Capitol Building while Tezuka stood by them seemingly uninterested as he was again drawing on his pad. Atlas laughed at that while he looked at all the sights around them. He now noticed that there was a statue of the Seven in construction in the courtyard of the Capitol Building, and that Central was actually located in a giant crater. He only realized _that_ when the float began ascending into Ferrick's district.

"You'll notice each district has a distinct look to it," Cain said to Atlas, "For instance, Ferrick's District was built to resemble the small village she once originated from." Atlas looked away from Cain and saw Ferrick's district for the first time. It was a beautiful plant-filled paradise with a shining lake in the distance that reflected the face of the sun. People that resembled Ferrick's pale complexion began filling the streets to greet the float.

"He's right, and they did a great job," Ferrick spoke up, "It looks just like home…… it almost brings a tear to my eye when I see it……"

"Most of the people that inhabit this district are either from, or direct descendants of Ferrick's old village. She knew they needed to be relocated from Amestris the most…" said Cain as he waved to citizens that surrounded the float.

"And it's also the place where I established the most reliable hospital in all of New Haven," Davis chimed in with a smile, "Haven't lost a patient _yet_!"

"Ha, so I've heard Gabe," Cain responded "Let's just hope for the sake of the people that you haven't just jinxed yourself…"

"Ah shit……."

"We'll be moving into King's District next," said Cain still laughing. The float began veering toward dark clouds that seemed to have a storm occurring in a downpour. The float inhabitants quickly dressed themselves in raincoats as they began to drive through, still waving at the overjoyed inhabitants of what Atlas now realized was Dyanna King's District.

"The cause of the rain is uncertain, but it never stops…." said King as she talked through the pattering sound of the rain. "Some say it's depressing, but I think it's remarkable….. An entire area of land where rain never ceases…. And plus the storms help me experiment with my electrical alchemy…. It may be gloomy, but it all serves a purpose for me…." she continued as she waved to more people who surrounded the float's path. "My district serves as the power to, as well as the scientific powerhouse of, New Haven. A title that my district proudly carries". She said as they carried on through her district which contained buildings that seemed like they slightly resembled a castle-like form of the ones in the Central City. Atlas noticed a waterfall in the distance that came from a ridge atop of one of the mountains and was likely a result of all the rainfall. The resulting lake below it had branched off into two rivers; one leading off the ridge of land King's district rested upon, and the other leading back toward Ferrick's district, forming the lake he had previously seen _there_. There was also a large turbine near the bottom of the falls that Atlas assumed was the source of all the power for New Haven that King had mentioned before. They continued through her district and over sets of bridges, until they were faced with only road ahead of them. As they pulled out of her district, the rain stayed behind them and they removed their coats. They started to move towards what looked like the face of a massive mountain. It was indeed the mountain Atlas had seen in the distance before while back in Central City. As they neared the mountain, Atlas noticed two men standing outside of it.

"General Gran!" said both of the men as they immediately saluted her.

"And friends," she said humorously as she smiled back at the rest of the float inhabitants. Cain and the others chuckled while Grey rolled his eyes. "Right," she then continued, "raise the gate!" One of the guards repeated her order to another man whom Atlas just noticed was standing on a platform higher up on the mountain. Seconds later, the face of the mountain began to rise from the ground revealing a passage way into the mountain. "Suigetsu," she said, turning to Atlas, "Welcome to _my_ district!" Atlas looked stunned as the float moved into Gran's mountain district. Her district seemed to stretch through the interior of several mountains just as Terra had vaguely explained to him back on the train on the way to New Haven.

"How is this all even _possible_?" Atlas said to himself aloud.

"Well, mostly because I'm so skillful at shaping the Earth to my liking. I've taught my people over the years and when we relocated to New Haven, we all worked together to build this place. We actually created many of the structures you see in New Haven from these mountains and the Earth. That is why you see that the city is in a sort of crater." As they entered further into the mountain, they entered a large chamber about as large as a whole mountain and at the top there was a large opening that let in sunlight making it ultimately resemble somewhat of a volcano. The chamber was full of people both constantly working, as well as people who were standing around to wave at the float passing by.

"Yes, and if you're wondering why this place is considerably larger than the other districts, then that's because it needs to be. In the event of an attack, my district _also_ serves as a safe place for the civilians of New Haven to go to to remain safe while our warriors and guards counterattack. The entrance," she said as she pointed back to the door which was now again lowered, "is fortified and it would take weeks to get to the center. We also have tunnels that run all over these mountains as escape routes. We have resources to support the entire population for months, and if those resources get depleted, we would have supplies brought in from our secret tunnels. And to improve our defenses, the sides of the mountains have been shaped to allow guards to man posts on them and warn us of coming threats as well as work as added defense of our mountainous stronghold."

"As if you couldn't already tell, she's quite proud of her work," Grey said to Atlas as Gran shot a glare his way. The float rolled through the massive district for nearly twenty minutes passing by several buildings all shaped from the mountains they began spreading off into more private regions of the district that were no longer lit by the volcano-like opening in the main area in which Gran labeled the "Gran Bazaar". They were instead lit by large lights that were timed with the setting of the sun. They began to pass an immense stone cottage in one of the private sectors.

"Aaaand that's my house," she said pointing to it, then she pointed over to a house across the way. "And that's Terra's place. It looked like you two were becoming friends so I figured I oughta tell you….. But you keep your hands to yourself Suigetsui, she's my daughter you know!" she said. Grey smiled and nudged Atlas with his elbow while Cain let out a chuckle. The float moved past the house all the way back to one of the aforementioned secret tunnels; this one seeming to be Gran's emergency escape route due to the close proximity of it to her house. They made their way to the end of it where guards were ordered to open it just as they had at the entrance, and the float rolled its way out and down a road shaped into the mountainside.

"This road leads directly up to Dean and Jackson's district," Cain informed Atlas. Atlas looked back at the two to find Jackson spaced out watching the side of the mountain as they drove up the ledge, while Dean was simply asleep. The float continued to roll up the mountainside as Atlas looked off into the distance and saw mountains as far as the eye could see. A crisp breeze had begun to hit him that made him shiver and it indicated to him that they were on their way back up to the snowy regions of the mountains. Before he could say anything, Grey threw a fur at him.

"I saw ya shiverin' over there kid." Grey said laughing, "It's okay though, bein' with Marcus, you'll get _used_ to it." Atlas put the fur on and thanked him for it as the float began driving through a small forest causing everyone to begin ducking and dodging tree branches as they passed through, trying not to get hit. While everyone else was doing that, King was merely laying on the floor laughing at her fellow Seven members; especially Grey who broke the most branches due to his height disadvantage. Finally they drove toward a bush that two guards already standing there parted away and the float drove between it, and onto a main road.

"That was one hell of a secret exit Haley!" said Aequitas.

"We're uh…. working out the kinks…" she responded. They continued up this main road for about ten minutes until houses and shops started to appear and men and women started pouring out from their homes to greet the float inhabitants. There was newly fallen snow on the ground and the majority of the men filling the streets were heavily bearded.

"If you hadn't already guessed, this is--" Cain was cut off by a rowdy cheer from a bar they'd just passed that was loud enough to finally wake Veritas up, "This is Dean and Jackson's District…."

"Hey, can we make a few stops Marcus?" muttered Dean as he smiled out to his rowdy district members.

"I'm down for that mySELF" said Grey as he smiled out to some of the women cheering alongside the float. Gran slapped the back of his head, causing him to turn his attention away from them. As they continued down the snowy road, a burly red headed man that Atlas felt like he had seen before had climbed onto the float. He seemed to startle a few of the float inhabitants at first with his sudden appearance, but they too knew him.

"Nice of you to join us Morgan," said Cain with a smirk.

"Yeah Reeves, where have you been?" asked Gran. It was Major Reeves, one of the men that Atlas had seen in Central Square, Amestris that aided in Cain's escape. He seemed a little more unrecognizable in his heavy civilian clothes.

"Sorry, I was called out on business as soon as we all got back. Had to miss your little speech and _everything_ today Marcus!" he said, laughing as he did. "These people really know how to break shit….. especially HERE. And I'm always the one they call to fix it……. I swear, _someone_ else has gotta know how to do this stuff, I need a BREAK….."

"Yeah you're right." said Grey, "maybe if someone _else_ did all this, you'd actually have time to be a _useful_ second-in-command!" The group laughed as Reeves smiled with a shrug before patting Grey on the shoulder. Reeves sat on the floor of the float as it continued to push through Veritas and Aequitas' snowy mountain district. The entire district seemed quite rowdy and Atlas wasn't sure if it was because of the parade, or if it was just like this _all_ the time there.

"Hey it's Duffy!" Veritas suddenly yelled out of nowhere. He and Aequitas both stood and looked down to the ground where a single man stood with a large glass of ale. "Cheers Duffy!" he said, raising the glass of liquor that seemed like it was habitually glued to his hand.

"Aye" responded the man they called "Duffy" as they two both threw their heads back and drank their glasses dry. The float, still moving, left the man in the distance as it rolled down the snowy road.

"That was Duffy O'Dwyer," Grey said to Atlas, "Ha, you looked a little confused so I figured I oughta fill ya in. He's their second-in-command…. I bet you can already tell why _Dean_ likes him," he said with a laugh as they finally made their way to the end of the district. "Yeah, Dean and Jackson's place is fun and all, but my place coming up has that kinda modern flair to it ya know?"

"In other words, it's boring" interrupted Gran, laughing in Grey's face.

"You two really never stop huh?" said Atlas as he laughed at the expression from them that followed. They began going deeper into the mountains now to Grey's district. When Atlas first saw it in the distance, in seemed like a majestic hidden place amongst the mountains that had buildings that somewhat resembled those from Amestris' Central City.

"Ya see that Haley? This view beats lookin' at some dumb mountain ANYday!" said Grey to her, restarting another one of their bickering and pointless arguments. The rest on the float simply watched as they pulled into the district where bundled up citizens stood, ready to see the Seven. The streets carried a light foggy mist in it as the float pulled through the snowy streets that had been plowed off after what appeared to be about a foot of snowfall. They later passed a large residence that Grey told Atlas was his place that he hand-built and he then shared with them the fact that his district was the last to see the sun each day as it gleamed over the peaks of the mountaintops. Soon after they'd seen all the sights and people, they were making their way out of the hidden mountain district of his. The road out was icy and a bit dangerous, especially at the height they were traveling at, but they made their way out safely.

They finally pulled into Cain's familiar district where the streets were lined with simple cottages and few light posts. The same volume of light flurries from before was still falling from the sky.

"I always remember telling Tanner I wanted my place to be kept simple," Cain said to Atlas, "and I have to say, I'm satisfied…" He was right, aside from the cottage's there was nothing really of grand value in Cain's district besides his massive house. Cain's place was quiet upon their arrival and seemed to be the definition of absolute tranquility. Finally Atlas realized something.

"Wait……. Does anyone else _live_ here?"

"Ah, good observation," Gran answered. "No not yet. Marcus gave strict orders to Bell to hold off on housing people in his district until he arrived…… I can only imagine the chaos going on at the Residential Accommodations Department back in Central City now that Marcus has arrived….

"Ha, no worries to you of course though," Cain said to Atlas, "I made a late night call to them last night, and already have places set off for both you and your siblings, as well as Sara seeing as how my second-in-command should also be close to me," he said, smiling at Bell. Finally the float arrived at Cain's place where the float came to a stop and everyone got off. There were five convoys waiting outside that were presumably there to take the members of the Seven back to their districts now that the parade was over. Atlas, still wrapped in his fur, stepped down off the float and went over to stand next to Cain.

"My friends," said Cain turning to them after they finally all made it off the float, "After today, I've finally seen the full realization of my dream… and after that, I saw things that were beyond even what man could possibly even _consider_ trying to dream… I couldn't find better friends, and I couldn't find better leaders. From what I've seen, if proves to me that you're all willing and capable to make New Haven prosper for generations to come, and I'm ready to finally take my place and join you all in starting a new future. May our dream live forever! Farewell for today my friends, I shall see you tomorrow." The group dismissed themselves as they chatted for amongst one another for a bit. Each second-in-command present caught a ride with their respective Seven member as Cain began toward his cottage with Atlas and Bell behind him.

"What'd you think of it all? Pretty impressive stuff right?" Bell said to Atlas as they were walking

"Yeah…. I've never seen anything _like_ this place before… Wait, Marcus just said he got you a place to stay around here…. Where'd you stay before?"

"Well, in Marcus' house…. It's a cozy place too, kinda disappointing that I don't get to live there anymore…. But I'd take Marcus in the flesh over some stupid house any day," she said smiling at Cain in front of her. "But enough about my house preferences, what about you? Marcus' apprentice huh? He must have a lot of faith in you-- you're his first one... I expect big things from you…"

"And I intended to make them happen," he said back to her. "Don't you worry about me, this is the kind of opportunity I've been waiting for my whole life and I don't intend to take it lightly." Bell let out a chuckle after he said that. "What?"

"Nothing it's just…. What you just said reminded me of Marcus back when he was your age. You're actually right around the age he was when I first met him you know?…. I'll just take what you said as a sign of what's to come." It was then that Cain opened the door to his house and the three walked in and removed their furs and shoes. Tezuka, Apollo and Tenny were already sitting in the living room by the fire when they walked in. Atlas' siblings rose to greet him as Tezuka simply continued his drawing he was working on. His siblings began asking him about how the ride was and Atlas began going into detail about the different districts he had witnessed earlier much to the awe of Apollo and Tenny. They carried on in conversation while Bell talked to Tezuka as he finished up his drawing. Cain was busy getting settled in another room before he came back out and interrupted Atlas who was still conversing.

"You may want to get some rest Atlas…. Training starts tomorrow."

"But it's still so early," said Atlas, somewhat protesting the idea.

"Trust me, for what you have coming to you, you'll need it."

_**Thanks guys for reading. Please write reviews. We need ideas and feedback on the story it would greatly help us if you do. Also check out our wiki page at **_newhaven .wikia. com(no spaces) _**you all are a great help and sorry again for the long time since we posted.**_


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